The authors of The Teaching Gap, James Stigler and James Hiebert, argue that the United States educational system is far behind other countries like Japan and Germany. They want to close the teaching gap, but not in the way that policy makers and researchers suggest. Researchers and policy makers want to improve scores on international tests by changing frameworks or raising standards for becoming a teacher. Stigler and Hiebert believe the reason behind the gap is in the methods of teaching, not the teachers. Teachers all go through similar pathways to achieve certification and are competent in their ability to teach. In their training, they learn different instructional methods that would be of benefit to the students if actually implemented in the classroom. What happens in the classroom is what determines our success compared to other countries. And as Stigler and Hiebert state, "teaching is something we can study and improve," whereas nonschool factors are uncontrollable and beyond our abilites to try to improve. Simply looking at scores on standardized tests won't give us the key to closing the teaching gap. We must look at what is actually being said and done within the classrooms to see what changes need to be made.
Even if policy makers or researchers "write and distribute reform documents and ask teachers to implement the recommendations contained in such documents" this doesn't necessarily mean that teachers will turn around the next day and begin to teach in a new way. Teachers will also need to be guided on how to implement these methods effectively. It will also take a long time to spread and share these new methods with all teachers.
Even if policy makers or researchers "write and distribute reform documents and ask teachers to implement the recommendations contained in such documents" this doesn't necessarily mean that teachers will turn around the next day and begin to teach in a new way. Teachers will also need to be guided on how to implement these methods effectively. It will also take a long time to spread and share these new methods with all teachers.